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YOUR WASHINGTON
AND YOU!
A WEEKLY
REPORT FROM
KARL MUNDT
SENATOR FROM SOUTH DAKOTA
"FOR A FAIR CHANCE FOR A FREE PEOPLE"
VOLUME XV (1953) NUMBER 6 - FOR RELEASE FEBRUARY 26 OR AFTER
JUST IN TIME. South Dakota received help from the Washington Congressional delegation just in time last year when
postage stamp was issued for Mount Rushmore's 25th
Anniversary. Lately the Post Office Dept. has been flooded
with Congressional requests for other special stamps, so the
Senate Post Office Committee has decided to refuse considering any more of these requests and turn them over to the
Postmaster General for his decision.
OPTIMISM. The most optimistic viewpoint over current farm prices is held in Washington by statisticians in the Bureau of Agriculture Economics. Their latest figures
indicate the level of average farm prices in the United States is now about even
with pre-Korea levels—despite the 12 percent decline during this past year. Oris V.
Wells, Chief of the Bureau, insists his forecast is correct—that farmers' net income
will be no more than five percent below 1952 and surely not down enough to warrant
fears of a nationwide farm depression.
ROAD TROUBLES HERE, TOO! While South Dakota's legislature is struggling with highway finance problems, the first storm signals are already flying in Washington over
financing the upkeep of America's rapidly deteriorating interstate highway system.
The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1952 authorizes spending $25 million in the two-
year period from July 1, 1953 to June 30, 1955 Rep. Dempsey,democrat of New Mexico,
—in the first action on highway matters this session—has introduced a bill to ADD
$200 million to the authorization for the same two-year period. He says an "emergency" exists because the Bureau of Public Roads has "run out of money" and has claims
for $27 million in matching funds from states which the Bureau is unable to meet.
NOTE: It is important to remember that funds must first be authorized for ALL
Federal spending, and then the authorized fund requests must be appropriated from the
U.S. Treasury (via House and Senate Appropriations Committees) before actual spending
can begin. It does not necessarily follow that all authorized funds MUST be appropriated in full. The Appropriations Committees will, no doubt—especially in this
economy-minded Congress—make some reductions,even in already-authorized fund requests from Federal agencies.
INSIDE FACTS ON WHEAT AGREEMENT. Despite some South Dakota farm anxiety to ratify
an International Wheat Agreement "at any cost", the inside facts indicate such hasty
action is not necessary, from primarily an economic viewpoint. The current agreement
(due to expire soon) gives a $1.80 per bushel top price. Trends in world supply and
demand indicate a free market would provide more than a $2 bushel when this agreement
expires.
Nevertheless, negotiations are now going on to reach a compromise figure for a
new agreement. As chief exporting nation, the U.S. is coming down from the original
$2.50 per bushel asking price. As principal importing nation, England is coming up
from the $1.80 per bushel original offer. The final outcome maybe around $2.20 per
bushel, but several weeks of bargaining are in the works first.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "Now there seems to be some concern regarding my position on
support programs. I have made our position clear, or so I have thought, but let me
repeat it here: We will support farm prices. We are going to support the basics—
(wheat, corn, rice, cotton, peanuts and tobacco)—at full 90 percent as prescribed
by law. We will support non-basics at levels that have been announced or will be
Worked out with advisory groups such as this, and the Congress. That, it seems to me,
is a positive and unmistakable statement." -SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE BENSON ON FEB.
12 BEFORE A MEETING 0f 53 LEADERS IN AGRICULTURE AND THE COTTON INDUSTRY.
SOME CHANGES MADE. Orders have recently gone down through all Government agencies
for employees to stop bringing magazines and books to their offices. The Republicans
"officially" discovered what the taxpayers suspected all the time.
U.S. WEED CONTROL. Much South Dakota land (particularly in the West River area) is
owned by various agencies of the Federal Government. So Rep. Harold Lovre and I
feel our new bill introduced recently in Congress will be of direct benefit to
South Dakota farmers. Briefly, this bill demands that all U.S. agencies strictly
comply with the laws of all states regarding noxious weed control.
We introduced this bill in the last Congress at the request of many farmers,
county weed supervisors and others in South Dakota—but adjournment came before any
action was taken. Since Rep. Lovre and I are members of the Agriculture Committees
in our respective branches of Congress, we are hopeful of later conducting hearings
and obtaining passage of this bill.

The work from which this copy was made did not include a formal copyright notice. This work may be protected by U.S. copyright law (Title 17, United States Code), which governs reproduction, distribution, public display, and other uses of protected works. Some uses may be legal with permission from the copyright holder, if the copyright on the work has expired, or if the use is fair use or compliance with the law. All use of DLSD material and content, whether utilized under fair use or used with written permission to publish, must name the Karl E. Mundt Historical & Educational Foundation, Karl E. Mundt Library, Dakota State University, as the original source for the material.

The work from which this copy was made did not include a formal copyright notice. This work may be protected by U.S. copyright law (Title 17, United States Code), which governs reproduction, distribution, public display, and other uses of protected works. Some uses may be legal with permission from the copyright holder, if the copyright on the work has expired, or if the use is fair use or compliance with the law. All use of DLSD material and content, whether utilized under fair use or used with written permission to publish, must name the Karl E. Mundt Historical & Educational Foundation, Karl E. Mundt Library, Dakota State University, as the original source for the material.

Date Digitized

2009-07-06

Transcript

YOUR WASHINGTON
AND YOU!
A WEEKLY
REPORT FROM
KARL MUNDT
SENATOR FROM SOUTH DAKOTA
"FOR A FAIR CHANCE FOR A FREE PEOPLE"
VOLUME XV (1953) NUMBER 6 - FOR RELEASE FEBRUARY 26 OR AFTER
JUST IN TIME. South Dakota received help from the Washington Congressional delegation just in time last year when
postage stamp was issued for Mount Rushmore's 25th
Anniversary. Lately the Post Office Dept. has been flooded
with Congressional requests for other special stamps, so the
Senate Post Office Committee has decided to refuse considering any more of these requests and turn them over to the
Postmaster General for his decision.
OPTIMISM. The most optimistic viewpoint over current farm prices is held in Washington by statisticians in the Bureau of Agriculture Economics. Their latest figures
indicate the level of average farm prices in the United States is now about even
with pre-Korea levels—despite the 12 percent decline during this past year. Oris V.
Wells, Chief of the Bureau, insists his forecast is correct—that farmers' net income
will be no more than five percent below 1952 and surely not down enough to warrant
fears of a nationwide farm depression.
ROAD TROUBLES HERE, TOO! While South Dakota's legislature is struggling with highway finance problems, the first storm signals are already flying in Washington over
financing the upkeep of America's rapidly deteriorating interstate highway system.
The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1952 authorizes spending $25 million in the two-
year period from July 1, 1953 to June 30, 1955 Rep. Dempsey,democrat of New Mexico,
—in the first action on highway matters this session—has introduced a bill to ADD
$200 million to the authorization for the same two-year period. He says an "emergency" exists because the Bureau of Public Roads has "run out of money" and has claims
for $27 million in matching funds from states which the Bureau is unable to meet.
NOTE: It is important to remember that funds must first be authorized for ALL
Federal spending, and then the authorized fund requests must be appropriated from the
U.S. Treasury (via House and Senate Appropriations Committees) before actual spending
can begin. It does not necessarily follow that all authorized funds MUST be appropriated in full. The Appropriations Committees will, no doubt—especially in this
economy-minded Congress—make some reductions,even in already-authorized fund requests from Federal agencies.
INSIDE FACTS ON WHEAT AGREEMENT. Despite some South Dakota farm anxiety to ratify
an International Wheat Agreement "at any cost", the inside facts indicate such hasty
action is not necessary, from primarily an economic viewpoint. The current agreement
(due to expire soon) gives a $1.80 per bushel top price. Trends in world supply and
demand indicate a free market would provide more than a $2 bushel when this agreement
expires.
Nevertheless, negotiations are now going on to reach a compromise figure for a
new agreement. As chief exporting nation, the U.S. is coming down from the original
$2.50 per bushel asking price. As principal importing nation, England is coming up
from the $1.80 per bushel original offer. The final outcome maybe around $2.20 per
bushel, but several weeks of bargaining are in the works first.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "Now there seems to be some concern regarding my position on
support programs. I have made our position clear, or so I have thought, but let me
repeat it here: We will support farm prices. We are going to support the basics—
(wheat, corn, rice, cotton, peanuts and tobacco)—at full 90 percent as prescribed
by law. We will support non-basics at levels that have been announced or will be
Worked out with advisory groups such as this, and the Congress. That, it seems to me,
is a positive and unmistakable statement." -SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE BENSON ON FEB.
12 BEFORE A MEETING 0f 53 LEADERS IN AGRICULTURE AND THE COTTON INDUSTRY.
SOME CHANGES MADE. Orders have recently gone down through all Government agencies
for employees to stop bringing magazines and books to their offices. The Republicans
"officially" discovered what the taxpayers suspected all the time.
U.S. WEED CONTROL. Much South Dakota land (particularly in the West River area) is
owned by various agencies of the Federal Government. So Rep. Harold Lovre and I
feel our new bill introduced recently in Congress will be of direct benefit to
South Dakota farmers. Briefly, this bill demands that all U.S. agencies strictly
comply with the laws of all states regarding noxious weed control.
We introduced this bill in the last Congress at the request of many farmers,
county weed supervisors and others in South Dakota—but adjournment came before any
action was taken. Since Rep. Lovre and I are members of the Agriculture Committees
in our respective branches of Congress, we are hopeful of later conducting hearings
and obtaining passage of this bill.